Mowamba River facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mowamba River |
|
|---|---|
| Other name(s) | Moonbah River |
| Country | Australia |
| State | New South Wales |
| Region | Australian Alps (IBRA), Snowy Mountains |
| Local government area | Snowy Monaro Regional Council |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Main source | Snowy Mountains, Great Dividing Range near Mount Terrible 1,360 m (4,460 ft) |
| River mouth | confluence with the Snowy River near Jindabyne 853 m (2,799 ft) |
| Length | 32 km (20 mi) |
| Basin features | |
| River system | Snowy River catchment |
| Tributaries |
|
| National park | Kosciuszko NP |
The Mowamba River is a river in the Snowy Mountains area of New South Wales, Australia. It is a perennial river, which means it flows all year round. This river is an important part of the larger Snowy River system.
Journey of the Mowamba River
The Mowamba River starts high up in the Snowy Mountains. This area is part of the Great Dividing Range, a huge mountain chain in Australia. The river's source is found within the beautiful Kosciuszko National Park, near a place called Mount Terrible.
From its starting point, the river flows mostly south. Then, it turns and flows towards the northeast. Along its journey, two smaller streams, called tributaries, join the Mowamba River. These smaller streams add more water to the main river.
The Mowamba River travels for about 32 kilometres (20 mi). During this distance, it drops a total of 507 metres (1,663 ft) in height. Finally, it meets and joins the Snowy River. This meeting point, called a confluence, is about 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) south of a town named Jindabyne.
How Water is Managed
The water from the Mowamba River is used as part of a very big project called the Snowy Mountains Scheme. This project helps to create electricity and manage water resources.
A special structure called the Mowamba weir (a small dam) and an aqueduct (a channel for water) are used to move water from the Mowamba River. This water is sent to the Jindabyne Dam.
For a few years, starting in August 2002, the Mowamba Weir was "turned out." This meant that extra water was allowed to flow over the weir and into the Snowy River. This was done to help the environment and make sure the river had enough water. These special "environmental water releases" continued until January 2006. After that, improvements were made to the Jindabyne Dam. Now, environmental water is released from the Jindabyne Dam itself to help the Snowy River.
